DD 61 
.3 
. F7 


1914a 

MflNS-ftS-EXPONENTS 
0F 6ULTUKE * — * 


BY 

FRITZ VON FRANTZIUS 


IN ANSWER TO AN ARTICLE BY 
PROFESSOR BRANDER MATTHEWS 
OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE 
NEW YORK TIMES OF SEPT 20, 1914 


Chicago , U.S.AOctober 20th , 1914 











































































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German Achievements 


Philosophy 

Science 

Art 

Inventions 

Discoveries 

Finance 

Commerce 


Second Edition 







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Germans as Exponents of Culture 


An article appeared on September 20th in the New York 
Times on this subject by a Professor of the Columbia Uni¬ 
versity, Brander Matthews, attacking the Germans as expo¬ 
nents of Culture, nevertheless, perhaps it may interest the 
public to hear the other side of this theme, in as far as the 
subject was treated by Mr. Matthews rather superficially, 
and as a layman it gives me great pleasure to take up the 
challenge of Prof. Matthews. 

In the first place, what does the Professor mean by the 
word “culture”? Is it measured merely by occasional bud- 
ing of literature, discoveries or developments of such? Then 
perhaps in the opinion of some people Tolstoi and Turgenief 
as literary geniuses, or Marconi as an inventor may place 
Russia and Italy at the head of all culture and civilization. 
Tolstoi to the greatest extent, is the product of his time, the 
depressed conditions of the Russian peasant and so on. We 
very likely would never have heard of a Marconi wireless if 
Hertz, a German, some twenty years ago, had not discov¬ 
ered the electro-magnetic waves. Now, is it invention alone 
or a few literary geniuses that place one nation ahead of the 
other? 

The word “culture” embraces a world of achievements, 
which combined, in a measure speak as a unit, and only as 



such can be brought in contrast with that of other nations. 
One of the principal things is the providing of adequate 
means of self-protection of a government against attacks by 
its enemies, as one blunder in this way might cause the 
downfall of a nation (study history). High standard of 
hygienic and sanitary conditions, cleanliness, scientific man¬ 
ufacturing of foodstuffs and drugs, high standard of modern 
utilities such as water systems, lighting, transportation, ex¬ 
pedient telegraph and telephone service, laws of order and 
safety towards protection of life and welfare of its people in 
all its branches, as public thoroughfares and gathering 
places, insurances, pensions, invalid funds, etc., high stand¬ 
ard of schools and general institutions of learning in all arts 
and sciences, as well as finance and commerce, small per¬ 
centage of illiterates, high moral standard as a nation, ethic— 
honorable character (not to spread constant lies in war ana 
in times of peace), humanity, especially in warfare (not to 
gouge out soldiers’ eyes) ; certain dignity as a nation in 
curbing the black and yellow races, sufficient pride and self 
control of a white nation not to antagonize the yellow race 
against the white in an effort to annihilate a white nation, 
principles of highest honor, efficiency in agricultural produc¬ 
tion, discoveries, inventions, developments of same, up-to- 
date conveniences in country and city life, ways and means 
to keep down pauperism (slums) and people from starving, 
protection of the aged and invalids, ability to compete with 
foreign trade, protection of international laws as to patents 
and copyrights (no violation of same), court of justice to 
give equal protection to the poor as well as the rich, etc., 
etc., comfort in traveling and living, good hotels and eating 
places at moderate prices, hygienic and healthy cooking. 


2 


These and many other things are but a part of the compre¬ 
hensive word “culture.” 


Let us but touch upon a few of these put in doubt by 
Prof. Matthews. 

Professor! As you have “sat for more than forty years 
at the feet of the masters of French literature,” it is quite 
natural that you should view Germany’s culture through 
French spectacles. How differently you would feel if you 
had devoted as much time to German culture! Since war 
began there have been disclosures relative to the Anglo- 
Belgian military agreement irrefutably proving the violation 
of Belgian neutrality by Great Britain and France before 
Germany did. And did Germany not promise Belgium to 
pay all indemnities at the end of the war and guarantee Bel¬ 
gium’s independence? 

In regard to the destruction of Louvain, we know by this 
time the Belgians themselves are responsible for it, because 
the civilians attacked the German soldiers in spite of get¬ 
ting warning, and by the way, the sending over of the Bel¬ 
gian protest commission to the United States, was done to 
create an anti-German sentiment in the United States. This 
has been England’s policy always, even in times of peace, 
mainly through subsidy to such an extent that we really 
have no American press in the United States today, but an 
English one which is more or less anti-German. 

You further say the Germans dropped bombs into the un¬ 
besieged city of Antwerp. In the first place, did not the 
French aim to throw the first bombs into the city of Nurem- 


3 



berg, which, however, did not cause any damage? Secondly, 
when the bombs were thrown, Antwerp was a besieged city 
and the bombs were thrown only into the fortress where 
women and children had no right to be. The destruction of 
Louvain also has been much exaggerated and it is a settled 
question that the Rheims Cathedral has been but slightly 
damaged by a few shots, for which the French are to blame 
themselves, using the towers for signal stations. It is well 
known that Germans in warfare are more human than any 
other nation, the best proof for which is that during the 
Franco-Prussian war they saved Paris from destruction by 
means of starvation, where otherwise they would have ac¬ 
complished the fall of Paris much quicker by bombarding 
the city. 


You state “the Germans retain a barbaric mediaeval 
alphabet, while the rest of Western Europe has adopted the 
more legible and more graceful Roman letter/’ It is the 
most natural thing that a strong race like the Germans who 
have retained all their best character traits from the remot¬ 
est time, would therefore also retain their alphabet, which 
since being more graceful than the Roman, is constantly 
being used by the English for ornamental purposes. It is 
claimed by scholars that the German alphabet is in the main 
of Gothic origin, improved upon by the great German artist 
Albrecht Duerer. Besides, you do not seem to understand 
the attitude of the German party because you did not make 
a special study of German literature. By studying the 
German alphabet, you would find that they have just as 
many letters as the English and that most of them are alike. 


4 



Your further statement, “German literature is cumbrous 
and uncouth,” again proves that not understanding the atti¬ 
tude of the German party, you are unable to enter into its 
spirit. If you read German fluently, I can refer you to a list 
of prose writings from German literature which would be of 
the greatest enjoyment to you—“poetry in prose”—of which 
the English literature is rather deficient. . Did you ever read 
the great German admirer Thos. Carlisle’s love letters to 
Jane Welsh? As such they are a severe disappointment, 
being monotonous, rather tedious and uninteresting. Does 
the English literature reveal anything great and highly in¬ 
teresting on love, the most noble of all themes, in compari¬ 
son with Heinrich Heine? 

You say “German culture is a little lacking in the social 
instinct, the desire to make things easy and pleasant for 
others.” The fact that Germany did not adopt the Roman 
alphabet rather speaks in favor of its most ancient and 
strong characteristics, namely straightforwardness and in¬ 
dependence in thought and action. The Germans are not 
overpolite; they are too sincere to be flattering. Only a 
pliable language like the French can be used in diplomatic 
transactions by various nations “for reasons satisfactory to 
themselves.” Are you aware how exaggerated the war news 
is that comes from the English, the Latin and the Slavic 
sources? The war reports from these sources from the be¬ 
ginning until now are in fact nothing but a huge web of lies 
—no wonder that the world’s history when written by 
English authors is not always authentic. This is exactly 
contrary to the press in Germany. Can you accuse the 
German press of misrepresentation? If you are able to do 
so, please come straight forward! At last an English news¬ 
paper, the London Daily News, declares that Berlin is Lon- 

5 


don’s best source of news and that German wireless reports 
are trustworthy, while English censor passes only “infantile 
prattle.” 


You do not seem to understand Germany’s position as 
you call it “without a friend.” This rather proves to the 
eyes of the world its important position for which all its 
present enemies envy it, otherwise so many nations would 
not attack a country that is so insignificant as you try to 
make Germany appear. Your inability and unwillingness to 
understand the attitude of the German party must be due to 
your lack of study of German culture. 

Germany’s development in the art of war has proved a 
necessity because of its geographical position, it being sur¬ 
rounded by enemies on all sides. (How lucky are the United 
States having oceans on two sides!). After the Franco- 
Prussian war the great Moltke maintained that Germany 
must always be prepared for an attack from Russia and 
France at the same time in order not to be crushed. If the 
surrounding nations seriously meant peace, Germany in 
arms would never have disturbed them. It appears now 
that The Hague peace conference was nothing but a deeply 
laid plot instigated by England against Germany, and the 
latter did right not to disarm. 


Referring to the more purely intellectual arts, in the first 
place it is admitted among artists (and a fact that is even 
lamented by them all), that the greatness of an artist is not 


6 




established by exhibiting all over the world for the purpose 
of winning prizes. Did you ever hear of Laszlo, one of the 
greatest portrait painters living (perhaps the greatest) ? 
Did he ever exhibit in this country for this purpose? Or 
Franz von Stuck, the greatest German artist living? Did he 
ever exhibit here for the same purpose? How about the 
great Boecklin, the great Menzel, the great Leibl? Are they 
known to you? How about Lenbach and the great genius 
Segantini, of whom not one painting exists in this country ? 

At the International Exhibition at Venice a few years 
ago, two entire rooms were given up to Stuck’s exhibits, and 
one room to Zorn. They were selected as the only two of 
all the artists in the world. Besides those already named, 
there are scores of great German artists of today and of the 
last fifty years, painters and sculptors, of which a few 
names may suffice: Feuerbach, Max Klinger, Begas, Anton 
von Werner, Kaulbach, Rauch, Max von Koner, Fritz von 
Uhde, Bartels, Hans Thoma, Toni Stadler, Keller, Fritz 
Erler, Liebermann, Henry Zugel, Schramm-Zittau, Hodler, 
Orlik, Hengeler, Hildebrandt, Ignatius Taschner, Lederer, 
Hahn, Wreba, Gaul and many others. Are they not all 
owners of European medals of the highest order? And do 
not all American artists study at Munich as well as at 
Paris? Right here it might be interesting to state as a mat¬ 
ter of fact that since the famous Barbizon school (Corot, 
Millet, Diaz, Dupre, etc.) and the great modern Dutch 
painters (Israels, Mauve, Maris, etc.) have died out, the 
mantle has fallen upon the shoulders of the American artists 
(quite a compliment to such a young nation), and in the 
present art movement the artists of the United States of to¬ 
day as a community rank perhaps first in the world of art. 
But did not the best of them study in Munich? That is 


7 


why in recent years the word is passed among the artists in 
the United States to study in Munich. By those well posted 
in art circles, it will be admitted that Germany’s rank is 
second, but as to art and craftsmanship combined, Germany 
leads first. (Interesting it would be to study German 
Graphics and do not overlook German posters. Study exhi¬ 
bitions and various art magazines abroad, excepting the 
International Studio, which is a strictly English publica¬ 
tion, ignoring German art altogether). German soil is pro¬ 
ductive of original ideas, and does not Germany house the 
world’s greatest art treasures in its four galleries of old mas¬ 
ters : The Royal Gallery of Dresden (containing compara¬ 
tively speaking the greatest number of the world’s most 
popular paintings), the Kaiser Friedrich Museum of Berlin, 
The Royal Gallery of Hesse-Cassel, the old Pinakothek of 
Munich, against the only one such institution in France— 
the Louvre in Paris—two in England, the National Gallery 
and Wallace Collection, and one in Russia, the Eremitage in 
St. Petersburg. I do not mention here even Germany’s gal¬ 
leries of modern art like the National Museum of Berlin, the 
New Pinakothek in Munich and the many others, while the 
Louvre and National Gallery of London contain also to a 
great percentage modern art. England’s foremost art critic, 
Ruskin, maintains that the German mediaeval “Klein- 
kunst” is the greatest art of all ages. 


If the question is asked, “Who are the leading authorities 
and critics the world over?” aren’t they mostly Germans? 
For instance: Richard Muther (whose work is represented 
in every library of importance and in some libraries in three 
sets), Dr. Wm. Bode, whose discovery and purchase of the 


8 



charming Flora bust in London was the envy of the English, 
but their attacks do not prove their claim that the bust is 
not the Mona Lisa in wax by Leonardo), Dr. Tschudi, Dr. 
Justi, Dr. Berenson, F. Hirth (the great authority on Chi¬ 
nese and oriental art), Dr. Berthold Laufer, Meier-Grafe, 
Dr. Valentiner, Friedlander, F. Sarre, O. Kummel, W. Cohn, 
and a long list of others. There is a great art in every coun¬ 
try and there always has been. According to latest theories 
Egyptian art has influenced all else. Did you ever hear of 
the great Persian artist, Bihzad, “the Raphael of the East?’’ 
One of his admirers says: “He was a master of harmonious 
coloring based on accurate observation, and of the most ex¬ 
quisite refined line,—a line so fine that the most skillful of 
living workmen could never hope to equal it with modern 
tools. His portraits hold their own with the finest of H o 1- 
b e i n s.” (We are fortunate to find a number of authentic 
works by him in the great public libraries.) Did you ever 
hear of Wang Wei or Li Se-sun regarding whom Dr. Ber¬ 
thold Laufer (from Germany) perhaps the greatest archae¬ 
ologist of oriental art in this country, enthusiastically says: 

“Such creations as those of Wang Wei and Li Se-sun no 
doubt belong to the greatest emancipation of art of all 
times. He who has not seen the wonderful roll (10,000 mile 
picture) attributed to Li Se-sun in the possession of Mr. 
Freer of Detroit, does not know what art is—in technique 
as well as in mental depths, perhaps the greatest painting 
in existence. Greek and Italian art fade away into trifle 
before this glorious monument of divine genius which it 
would be futile to describe by any words. The Chinese 
handle painting, not as we handle painting, but as we handle 
music. There is only one giant in our art to whom Wang 
Wei and Li Se-sun can be adequately compared and that is 


9 


Beethoven. The Adagio of the Fifth Symphony is the 
text interpreting the noble transcendental spirit pervading 
the painted scenery of Li Se-sun and the Pastoral Symphony 
is the translation into music of Wang ch’uan’t’u. In depth 
of thought and feeling, the great T’ang masters, in their 
symphonic compositions vie with Beethoven and in 
line and color almost reach Mozart’s eternal grace and 
beauty. The Sung impressionists reflect the brief romantic 
character pieces of a Schumann or Grieg, while 
many of Ming and the later epigones reveal the shallow 
and plagiarist mind of a Mendelssohn or the gra¬ 
tuitous theatrical effects of a Meyerbeer. T’ang Yin 
of the Ming, however, is a Carl Maria von Weber, 
and Kiu Ying a sort of Franz Liszt, who could ac¬ 
complish everything, and created Chinese Hungarian Rhap¬ 
sodies in painting. Chinese pictorial art, I believe is painted 
music with all its shades of expressive modulation. It is 
known so far, in its highest accomplishments to a few ini¬ 
tiated only, but we trust that the time will come when its 
gospel will be preached everywhere, and when, like Beeth¬ 
oven, it will conquer the world.” 

Speaking of Musicians, the names of Richard Wagner and 
Richard Strauss are not even mentioned here, neither are 
Brahms, Schubert, Bach, Haydn and a score of others. 


And now as to the art of belles lettres, you as a professor 
of dramatic art make a statement “that since Goethe’s time 
(within the last 80 years) up to the present, outside of Su- 
dermann and Hauptmann, only one German author succeed¬ 
ed in winning world-wide celebrity—and that was Heine, a 
Hebrew.” What a testimonium paupertatis! Within the 


10 



last 80 years Germany had great men in all branches of lit¬ 
erature. What American does not know the philosopher 
Schopenhauer and Nietzsche? Aren’t they men of world’s 
celebrity? You only mention Eucken and Haeckel, the 
latter a naturalist. How about the other German literary 
men of this period—three more philosophers—Wundt, 
Eduard von Hartmann, and Ernst von Mach; then Uhland, 
Rueckert, Schlegel, Tieck, Buerger, Emanuel Geibel, Freilig- 
rath, Grillparzer, Hebbel, Ludwig, Gustav Freytag, Paul 
Heyse, Ernest von Wildenbruch, C. F. Meyer, Gottfried 
Keller, Victor von Scheffel, Hoffmannsthal, Dehmel, Detlev 
von Liliencron, Gustav Frenssen, Ludwig Fulda? You ac¬ 
cuse Germany of aridity of literary products. The products 
of Germany’s great men of the last 80 years alone are “Kul- 
turdiinger” of which no other country can boast, and if all 
other literary products up to that time had been lost, these 
men as a group are a very formidable one. You only seem 
to know Hauptmann and Sudermann, the great Haeckel and 
Prof. Eucken. How about Germany’s great geniuses, Bis¬ 
marck and von Moltke—and the world’s most eminent his¬ 
torians, Prof. Mommsen, Leopold von Ranke, Treitschke, 
Lamprecht; and Gauss the most brilliant mathematician of 
modern times (logarithms—founder of the mathematical 
theory of electricity, etc.), and other great Germans, men of 
literary renown like the Grimm Brothers and E. T. W. Hoff¬ 
mann? How about the famous Fairy Tales of the Grimm 
Brothers and the world famed Dictionary—a world’s monu¬ 
ment? If a large number of foreign authors are popular in 
Germany, does not this speak in favor of German culture? 
Germans are informed on foreign literature as well as on 
their own. You say no German writer attained to the inter¬ 
national fame achieved by Cooper and Poe, by Walt Whit- 


11 


man and Mark Twain. The fact is that Walt Whitman is 
known very little in his own country; he is better known in 
Germany than in the United States. He has not even a 
place of honor in the Hall of Fame, because his countrymen 
are behind his time, and acknowledging even Edgar Allen 
Poe has been excluded from such honor up to the present 
time, owing to unusual efforts his name will be put on the 
list for this honor to be conferred on him in 1915. We Ger¬ 
mans read Mark Twain after dinner for digestion; we surely 
would not use him for the sacred hours in our closets. Yes, 
and we also have a Mark Twain—William Busch. Who pos¬ 
sesses more wit and satirical skill than that humorous artist 
and rhymster? His humoristic rhymes will be popular as 
long as there is a German living. How about Fritz Reuter? 
He makes you laugh in every line. By the way, I would 
recommend to you to read your colleague, Calvin Thomas’ 
“History of German Literature” or Dawson’s “Germany and 
the Germans” (latest edition 1914), the greatest tribute to 
Germany ever written by an Englishman. 


I am glad that you at least acknowledge the supremacy 
of German culture in the field of science pure and applied. 
Although Darwin and Pasteur are only stepping stones to 
the field of higher science, you maintain that these are the 
two dominating scientific leaders of the second half of the 
19th century. There are Germans by the names of Virchow 
(cellular pathology and archaeological anthropology), Koch 
(bacteriology), Liebig (carbon compounds, chloroform, 
founder of agricultural chemistry), Helmholtz (one of the 
most distinguished scientific men of the 19th century, an 


12 



authority in several departments of science), Haeckel (nat¬ 
ural philosopher and zoologist), and others who are equally 
as great as Darwin and Pasteur. Germany has produced a 
few more sons of this class—men of world famed achieve¬ 
ments, Dr. Billroth (one of the greatest surgeons of modern 
time), Prof. Behring (diphtheria serum), Prof. Ehrlich (sal- 
varsan), Roentgen (X rays) and others who have accom¬ 
plished most wonderful results and whose names will be 
known forever. Isn’t it so? 

Your statement is erroneous when you say “it is in chem¬ 
istry that the Germans have been pioneers; yet the greatest 
of modern chemists is Mendeleeff” (1834-1907). His great¬ 
est achievement dating back as far as 1869 was the “Ele¬ 
ments of Chemistry.” Although this makes him a pioneer 
to a certain extent, he is unknown to the masses, and his 
achievements are not to be compared at all with those of a 
number of the best known German chemists of his time, 
Liebig, Bunsen (burner, also aluminum), Nernst (incan¬ 
descent lamps), Woehler (invented aluminum together with 
Bunsen), and the great Professor Ostwald. One reads of 
still lighter metal than aluminum being used for the Zeppe¬ 
lin machines, an invention held secret by the Germans. How 
about the great achievements in the Merck laboratories and 
in the German dye stuff (many of the latter held secret) ? 
Are not German chemists the most in demand? German 
inventions in chemistry are so general and numerous that 
further details are superfluous. 


How unprepared you are in your assertions when you say 
that “although not a few valuable discoveries are to be 
credited to the Germans, perhaps almost as many as to either 


13 



the French or the British, the German contribution in the 
field of invention in the practical application of scientific dis¬ 
covery has been less than that of the United States/’ when 
you furthermore say “that the Germans contributed little or 
nothing to the development of the railroad, the steamboat, 
the automobile, the aeroplane, telegraph, telephone, phono¬ 
graph, photograph, moving pictures, electric light, sewing 
machine and reaper and binder, even those dread instru¬ 
ments of war, the revolver and the machine, the turreted 
ship, the torpedo and the submarine, are not due to the mili¬ 
tary ardor of the Germans and that they are lacking in the 
inventiveness which is so marked a feature of all modern 
civilization.” 

Now, in answer to your above statement, there is little left 
for the development of railroads and whatever has been 
done in this direction, Germany has done its share. A well- 
posted man like J. J. Hill will tell you what the Germans 
have done towards developing the American rail, and have 
not the Germans contributed toward the block signal sys¬ 
tem? Just think of the Pintsch gas lighting system. Who 
built the greatest bridges the world over? Was it not most¬ 
ly German skill? The great success in building the New 
York subway is due in the main to the skill of German engi¬ 
neers. A German invented the modern wheel box for rail¬ 
roads. 

It seems that you are trying hard to deny Germany’s pro¬ 
ductiveness in the field of invention. It is a well known 
fact that the greatest inventions originated in Germany. 
Indeed, the greatest inventor the world has seen, is a Ger¬ 
man. Perhaps you have in mind numerous inventions of all 
over the world which are unimportant to mention, as you 


14 


seem to be impressed by those in your immediate surround¬ 
ings not thinking of those in the country, which you omitted 
to study closely. 

Did you ever hear of the great German inventor, Werner 
von Siemens? He is far greater than Thomas Edison! Did 
you ever hear of the Siemens glass furnace, the development 
of which made possible the open hearth furnace? He 
gave the world the modern dynamo-electric machine, upon 
which, more than anything else, the great success of elec¬ 
tric lighting and almost all the modern applications of 
electricity depends. In other words he made possible the 
electric light. The electro plating is also his invention. He 
built the first electric street car in 1879, which he exhibited 
that year at the Berlin Exhibition, and he is the one also who 
for the first time operated a 180-volt third-rail line at the 
same exhibition (a year later Edison used a third-rail for his 
Menlo Park locomotives). His firm, the Siemens & Halske 
Co., the greatest electrical engineers of Europe, is the larg¬ 
est deep sea cable manufacturer in the world. Siemens laid 
six trans-Atlantic cables and discovered the method of locat¬ 
ing a break in a cable under the ocean. He also invented 
the glass insulators used on telegraph poles. His researches 
in electricity resulted in endless discoveries and improve¬ 
ments of great value, especially affecting the telegraph and 
cable, street car, lighting, etc. It was Gauss again, who with 
Weber, as inventors, established the first telegraphic con¬ 
nection (1833), then Morse succeeded in inventing the sys¬ 
tem of signalling the alphabet, and it was Siemens who 
translated telegraphy into type by the system of electricity, 
by inventing that wonderful stock ticker machine. 


It was Otto von Guericke, Burgomaster of Magdeburg, 
to whom is due the first air pump, who about 1675 invented 

15 


the first electric machine. He is the first who produced 
light from electricity. 

How about the automobile and the aeroplane? It is a 
German, Daimler, whose invention of the modern gas en¬ 
gine, the patent of which he leased to a Frenchman, made 
possible the invention of the automobile; and Daimler was 
the first man who used it in running a motor cycle. That is 
why the Selden patent was knocked out in the U. S. Supreme 
Court two years ago. It is to Diesel and Daimler that we 
owe the automobiles, aeroplanes and motor boats. And 
were not the German automobiles “Mercedes” and “Benz” 
the most thought-of automobiles in the American market? 
Did these machines not take the world’s prizes everywhere? 
Who is taking the world’s prizes today in aeroplanes? Are 
not the German machines in the lead as to heighth and en¬ 
durance? That the Germans have attained the highest 
development in airships will not be questioned today by 
anybody. The different types of German machines prove 
it. There is the great Zeppelin, the envy of all nations, 
there are three more dirigibles, the Parsifal type, the 
Schuette-Lanz, the so-called Militaerschiff (a secret), and 
the aeroplanes: the Albatross, Falke, Rumpler-Taube, Mer¬ 
cedes and others. 

It is a German by the name of Lilienthal who some twenty 
years ago lost his life in the first successful flight of an aero¬ 
plane. Chanute, a Chicagoan, took up and continued Lilien- 
thal’s studies. The success of the Wright Brothers is due 
mainly to the lighter motor developed by the automobile 
industry. 

As to the development of the steamboat, have not the 
Germans done their share? Here again Siemens made in- 


16 


ventions in use today. It was the great Diesel engine, driven 
by oil fuel, which started such a revolution in power of ma¬ 
chinery including battleships and airships? Diesel was a 
German, and has not the German nation the most perfect 
and most up-to-date commercial fleet, and are not the Imper- 
ator and Vaterland the acme of perfection in the develop¬ 
ment of the steamboat? 

As to the telephone, this is the invention of Edward Reis, 
a German. The Bell telephone is but an improvement on 
the Reis instrument (perhaps even an infringement), which 
can easily be proved by studying the proceedings in the U. 
S. Supreme Court in the Bell law case. The court came near 
annulling the Bell patent. 

As to the photograph and moving pictures, it is a well 
known fact that the success of the modern kodak is due to 
the Jena glass, an invention of two German professors. The 
Zeiss and Goertz lenses rank as the best in the world. Every 
first-class physical laboratory in the United States or in the 
world is fitted up with German microscopes, microtomes, 
etc., and in the astronomical observatories, where the larg¬ 
est and most delicate lenses are required, the Germans have 
almost a monopoly. Most all high grade instruments and 
all optical equipment used in photography, as Barytha 
coated paper and all chemicals used in photography, are also 
German manufacture. They are all made from German for¬ 
mulas. This also applies to the best field glasses (binocu¬ 
lars) and telescopes, and covers the field of moving pictures. 

As to the inventions in the system of lighting, it may sur¬ 
prise you to hear that the Germans stand at the very top. 
In the economic development of illuminating gas burners, 
the names of Auer von Welsbach, Bunsen, Pintsch rank 


17 


first in science and in trade. Bunsen was the first to make 
artificial carbon for arc lamp (1838-1840)—and again it was 
Siemens who developed the carbon for arc lamps with best 
results, especially as regards fixity of light, but the com¬ 
position and mode, of manufacture are kept secret. It also 
may surprise you to hear that the so-called Tungsten lamp 
is a German invention, also the Nernst incandescent lamp. 

Inventions in the art of printing from Guttenberg’s time 
show the most important developments by Germans, includ¬ 
ing the invention of the modern steam printing press by 
Koenig, a German immigrant, also Ottomar Mergenthaler, 
another German immigrant, who invented and developed 
same by his ingenuity. Did you ever hear of the Mergen¬ 
thaler Linotype, the wonder of the ages, which is to be 
found in every up-to-date printing establishment? 

The reaper and binder is an American invention, but Ger¬ 
many is full of agricultural implements of many devices, all 
invented in the Fatherland. 

You say: “Even those dread instruments of war, the 
revolver and the machine gun, the turreted ship, the torpedo, 
and the submarine, are not due to the military ardor of the 
Germans. It would seem as though the Germans had been 
lacking in the inventiveness which is so marked a feature of 
our modern civilization/’ You do not seem to know of the 
famous Mauser rifle now in use in the German army, and 
Maennlicher gun, both German inventions. The revolver, 
as everybody knows, is an American invention but the 
Mauser revolver, a development of the Germans, killing at 
a mile distant, is the most powerful of them all. Did not 
Germany surprise the whole world with their powerful 30 
cm. Howitzers? And last but not least their 16)4 inch big- 


18 


gest war weapons—“one shell to each fort”—Krupp’s great 
secret gun. Do not the Germans build most powerful tur- 
reted ships of their own and of the most modern design? 

This also applies to the torpedoes and submarines. Sie¬ 
mens was the first to explode a submarine by electricity. 
That the Germans have very powerful torpedoes and sub¬ 
marines of their own make, nobody will deny, and are they 
not the first nation that made practical appliance of these 
submarine weapons in the present warfare? It is very plain 
that the Germans have a lot of valuable inventions to be 
used in warfare, the secret of which they keep well guarded. 

It is through facts that one can prove the superiority of 
one nation over another and not through erroneous state¬ 
ments. The very attack against Germany by so many na¬ 
tions is sufficient proof of its certain superiority. 

The fact is that the Germans are not quite outspoken 
enough regarding their merits and achievements, or you 
would not have attacked them in your above manner. The 
fact that you take sides with Germany’s present enemies 
does not prove their superiority in culture and is rather 
weak. It is on account of your unjust attacks that you in¬ 
vite criticism. 


Regarding your remark, “that within the last few weeks 
we have been forced to gaze at certain of the less pleasant 
aspects of the German character” this question cannot be an¬ 
swered at the present time as we all know that the reports 
for this country are exaggerated in a shameful manner ow¬ 
ing to the English having cut the German cables, also the 
prejudice shown by the English newspapers. 

Right here it is interesting to see what the New York 
Herald had to say about the battle of Sedan, which every¬ 
body knows was fought on Sept. 1, 1870. The next morning 

19 



Napoleon and his big army of about 170,000 soldiers capitu¬ 
lated to the Prussians. Verbally we find the following: 


NEW YORK HERALD, SEPT. 2, 1870. 

THE WAR 

THE PRUSSIAN CENTER AND LEFT WING SAID 
TO BE TOTALLY DEFEATED. “NUMEROUS 
LOSSES” BY THE GERMANS SPOKEN OF. 
PARIS REPORTS THREE DAYS FIGHTING. AL¬ 
LEGED CAPTURE OF THIRTY GUNS BY THE 
FRENCH. PRUSSIAN SOLDIERS DRIVEN INTO 
LUXEMBOURG AND DISARMED. SPECIAL 
TELEGRAPH LETTERS FROM PARIS. THE PA¬ 
RISIANS UNDISMAYED, CONFIDENT AND 
AMUSED. 

NEW YORK HERALD, SEPT. 3, 1870 

THE GREAT BATTLE ON THE MEUSE RENEWED 
YESTERDAY. THE PRUSSIANS REPORTED 
DRIVEN TOWARDS CARIGNAN. THE RIVER 
MEUSE FILLED WITH THE DEAD. 


“Yesterday was spent in burying the dead but this 
“morning the French unexpectedly assumed the offen¬ 
sive in force at day break, and have been driving the 
“Prussians all day. The Prussians are retreating toward 
“Carignan and the battle is raging most fiercely at 
“Dowsy. Private telegrams from Brussels this evening 
“say there is no official news, but correspondents near 
“the frontier telegraph that the French have driven a 
“considerable force of Prussians in great disorder across 
“the Belgian frontier, where they were immediately dis¬ 
armed.” 


20 


Speaking of the culture of nations in general, I want you 
to answer the following questions yourself. Every reader 
can judge for himself where the culture of a nation stands 
if they are trying to make void patents and copyrights as 
England and France have done with Germany during the 
war. How would you rank a white nation that antagonizes 
the yellow race against another white one? Is this not an 
act of great cowardice and a crime against the white race 
and against civilization at large? Does it show a high 
standard of culture if certain nations are constantly misrep¬ 
resenting facts to the whole world in the most shameful 
manner? Germany’s press is far above this. It is fortu¬ 
nately regulated by wise laws and protects everybody from 
slander. Any wrongs are immediately righted. How can 
one prove better the culture of a nation than by the follow¬ 
ing facts: 

The art of printing in Germany is carried on in all lan¬ 
guages of the world, in the most perfect manner, as well as 
at the least cost, for which Leipzig has the greatest reputa¬ 
tion in the world. Some families in Leipzig for generations 
have done nothing else but print books and read proofs. 
And how is agriculture and forestry carried on in Germany? 
It has practically become an art. As great an authority as 
J. J. Hill estimated the crops of the United States for the 
year 1913 at the value of $9,000,000,000, while Dr. Helfrich, 
director of the Deutsche Bank, in his exhaustive pamphlet, 
estimated the crops of Germany of that same year as $3,300,- 
000,000. Is there any other nation in the world which has 

21 


made as much of its resources as Germany? The following 
figures are convincing: 

Steel Tonnage exported by these three countries 1908-1912. 


U. S. Gt. Britain Germany 

1908 . 964,242 4,299,508 3,676,888 

1909 .1,239,709 4,380,665 3,979,839 

1910 .1,537,952 4,735,734 4,791,599 

1911 .2,187,725 4,664,772 5,292,326 

1912 ...2,947,596 4,628,000 5,856,000 

% Increase.. 205 8 59 


The foreign trade of Germany compared with Great Brit¬ 
ain and France in the last 30 years is as follows: 

In millions of marks 



1883 

1912 

Germany’s foreign trade. 

. 6,492.3 

19,648.6 

Great Britain’s foreign trade. 

.12,279.5 

22,850.5 

France’s foreign trade. 

. 6,687.5 

11,954.7 


About half of the goods Great Britain is exporting is of 
German origin. Hamburg became the first port in the 
world in regard to tonnage as well as to value of commerce, 
according to recent London statistics. 

Germany is the only country in Europe since the war be¬ 
gan that did not declare a moratorium; no matter what its 
enemies may say to the contrary. (For details see the cir¬ 
cular of the Deutsche Bank, which announces there is no 
moratorium.) The one billion 5% war loan at 97^2 was 
about 4 y 2 times over-subscribed. The situation in Germany 
during the war is characterized also by the movement of 
retail prices for foodstuffs, which show no rise at all in 
many cases. 

22 











How does Germany’s standard of civilization compare 
with that of other nations even taking into consideration the 
export of manufactured foodstuffs, with a territory less than 
the size of the state of Texas? And if we talk about highest 
standard of civilization, the art of German cooking with the 
aim of nutrition and hygienic value ranks first among all 
nations and the percentage of first-class eating places in 
Germany is again the highest in the world. Can’t you tell 
this best by the round, rosy cheeks of the Germans? Social 
conditions in Germany have come to such a perfection that 
there is no need of anybody begging, and nobody in Ger¬ 
many need starve. There are no slums to be found in any 
of the cities of Germany. Isn’t that a remarkable thing? 
All old people are cared for by a pension fund and every 
workman and poor servant, no matter how small his wages, 
have to contribute toward same. . In 1912 there were fewer 
than 2% unemployed in Germany, far less than any other 
nation. No wonder the emigration from Germany has de¬ 
creased in recent years. Because attending schools is com¬ 
pulsory in Germany, and German schools are known to be 
the best, this accounts for their having the smallest percent¬ 
age of illiterates among the leading nations. Those who 
cannot read or write are only some foreigners. 


The achievements of the Germans in inventiveness, 
development of same, scientific research, philosophy and 
science, commerce and finance, in peace and war, during 
the last 80 years is the greatest achievement in culture of 
any nation of any such period of time—and this since 
Goethe’s time. 

FRITZ VON FRANTZIUS. 


Chicago, October 20, 1914. 
122 South LaSalle Street. 





































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